Union Station
This shows how the station could have been expanded out the back, at least in early designs.
Municipal Group
Liberty Memorial
Notice the layout of the stairs.
Crosstown Center
Louis Kahn Office Building (Apparently his last design)
KCI
Location of a Proposed Fourth Terminal
Multipurpose Dome
Truman Sports Complex
Kansas City Place (I've seen this image with a key identifying the names of the buildings, but I couldn't find it again)
World of Oz Theme Park (Apparently this would have been built over the ruins of the Sunflower Ammunition Plant...)
Law Building Rehab
AMC Entertainment District
1032 Main Tower
Power and Light District
Modern Roof for Truman Sports Complex
Downtown Baseball Stadium
Three Trails
South Loop Cap
Kauffman Center
Plaza High-rise
Convention Hotel

It was supposed to be Bernstein-Rein's new HQ, and it started being built as a Moshe Safdie design, then the developer got in a fight with JE Dunn over something or other and construction stopped and the partially-built structure sat for a few years before being sold, torn down, and rebuilt to house Polsinelli. I think. There were several years of madness surrounding the whole deal, with the building being sold back and forth between several different companies, at least one bankruptcy, and a reasonably lovely Safdie design that got turned into scrap metal because nobody wanted it.

mean wrote:It was supposed to be Bernstein-Rein's new HQ, and it started being built as a Moshe Safdie design, then the developer got in a fight with JE Dunn over something or other and construction stopped and the partially-built structure sat for a few years before being sold, torn down, and rebuilt to house Polsinelli. I think. There were several years of madness surrounding the whole deal, with the building being sold back and forth between several different companies, at least one bankruptcy, and a reasonably lovely Safdie design that got turned into scrap metal because nobody wanted it.

Something like that, anyway. It's fairly convoluted.

There was claims a construction payment was not made for so long that work was purposefully stopped.

The parking garage was saved.

The replacement building ended up being minorly damaged in the explosion across the street. I forget it that created any delay or not.

They didn't have the money to finish the building as designed anyway. It wasn't like we had an architectural icon and knocked it down. It was a completely unworkable project of hubris that nearly ruined businesses close by.

Vol. 2
1910 Union Station Plans (These are in a hallway in Union Station)
A lot of these next ones came from this book
Union Station Development
Union Station as Botanical Garden (With a....submarine?!)
Science Museum Between the Plaza and Theis Park
Science City
Crawford Architects KCI
JLL KCI
KCI Mystery Design
Burns & McDonnell KCI
AECOM KCI
Alternative Streetcar Color Scheme
Union Station Expansions
Chastain's Union Station Transportation Hub

mean wrote:It was supposed to be Bernstein-Rein's new HQ, and it started being built as a Moshe Safdie design, then the developer got in a fight with JE Dunn over something or other and construction stopped and the partially-built structure sat for a few years before being sold, torn down, and rebuilt to house Polsinelli. I think. There were several years of madness surrounding the whole deal, with the building being sold back and forth between several different companies, at least one bankruptcy, and a reasonably lovely Safdie design that got turned into scrap metal because nobody wanted it.

Something like that, anyway. It's fairly convoluted.

There was claims a construction payment was not made for so long that work was purposefully stopped.

The parking garage was saved.

The replacement building ended up being minorly damaged in the explosion across the street. I forget it that created any delay or not.

wtf that is nuts. i had forgotten about this whole thing and kind of lost track of it after i moved back to st. louis.

Despite the utterly absurd debacle that was the West Edge construction process, and the loss of a potentially very attractive Sofdie design, it's worth noting that overall the West Edge has been a hugely positive addition to the Plaza, IMO.

First, the original southern building, opened as Hotel Sorella, now Fontaine, was retained. It's a great design, with well hidden parking, a great rooftop pool area and bar/dining room, and terraced views of Sunset Hills. I love it.

The Polsinelli office building, while disappointing compared to the Sofdie design, is bland, OK I guess, but offers some of the most sought after Class A space on the Plaza as well as new homes for JJ's, Jax Oyster House, and now Monarch cocktail bar. All well done, all bring something unique to plaza nightlife. JJs and Monarch patios are actually quite attractive with interesting views of the surrounding hood.

That being said, STILL wish they had kept the original, constructed (!) building with the swoopy metallic lobby and Advertising Icon museum, and potential corner grocer.